More outdoor napping at Knaphill

Date: 15 November 2016

This Advent, members of church staff from the parish of Knaphill with Brookwood will be braving a cold December’s night under the stars for the second year in a row to raise funds and vital awareness for homeless people and those trapped in poverty.

On Sunday 11 December, the team at Holy Trinity and St Saviour’s – Neil, Jo, Ben, Caroline and Julie – will spend the night in a self-built cardboard shelter outside Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill, as part of the Advent Sleepout Challenge, an initiative launched in 2015 by the Church Urban Fund.

Administrator at HT&StS, Caroline Bowen, said: “We are busy collecting cardboard to create our shelter for the night under the star at the front of Holy Trinity Church. We’ll be toasting marshmallows, sharing mulled wine and carol-singing and plan to be seasonally dressed in Christmas onesies. Last year we raised nearly £2,000 and would love to be able to achieve even more this year.”

The Advent Sleepout Challenge is a national, sponsored campaign to fund local projects for homeless people in England. Last year’s inaugural Challenge raised £93,450 as 75 churches and communities across the country – including Busbridge & Hambledon and Knaphill in our diocese – responded to the rise in homelessness. This money enabled ​CUF to provide an extra 4000 bed spaces across England, as well as fund projects which tackle homelessness in a variety of innovative ways. In 2015 it was estimated that as many as 3,569 people in England were sleeping rough on any one night. This is a 30% increase on 2014 and double the figure for 2010.
enabled us to provide an extra 4000 bed spaces across England, as well as fund projects which tackle homelessness in a variety of innovativeways.

Join in the fun! Groups are being encouraged to decorate church halls, back gardens, sheds, and garages to host their own sleepouts this December. All the resources you need can be found on the Advent Sleepout website.